"What of the new recruit, Lanie?" the pirate captain asked.

"She is rebellious, and determined, sir" Jack responded. "But I've noticed you act strange around her."

"Yeah." The captain said, scratching his back sheepishly. "I think I might"

"You think you might what?"

"We need to ask someone if marriage is against the pirate code."

"Just as I told the princess, I don't think so."

"The princess? You mean Lanie? Why were you talking about whether or not marriage is in the pirate code?"

"She noticed your strange behavior."

"Oh." John Bluebeard said, embarrassed. "Well, um, could you find out about her dream wedding?"

"Sure thing." Jack was interrupted by a loud scream outside.

"Lanie!" John cried.

"John, come up here!" her voice drifted down from the crow's nest.

"I'm coming!" He scaled the mast as easily as he could walk.

"Wow, that was fast." Lanie said, after he reached the platform.

"What did you call about?"

"This." she showed him a red, blistering P on her right forearm."

"Oh, we did that when you slept one night."

"Why? Is it some kind of prank?"

"No, I have one too." He showed her a pale patch of skin with the same capital P. "It's branding."

"So they know we're pirates, right?"

"Yeah."

Officially I'm now Lanie Rouge, pirate!" She yelled over the open water far below.

"Nobody will contest that!" John yelled over the water.

The next day, as Lanie was mopping the deck, some water suddenly splashed onto the deck.

"Sorry" a voice yelled from the side of the boat.

"Do- Do you need some help or something?" Lanie asked.

"Nope- nope I'm good!" A girl appeared in the water, blonde hair fanning and dripping around her. "How are you?"

"I'm good- Are you sure you don't need onto the deck?"

"Nah, I got this." She flipped her legs in the air revealing that they weren't legs, they were fins. "Aww shoot, I gotta go now. See you later!"

"Ok, bye" Lanie responded to the open water where the mermaid was a second ago.